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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Growing Tasty Cukes
  • Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:03:09 -0600


Barb found this source for me so here's passing it on. It's the Rodale
people. As usual they missed the Italian heirloom we're growing now, the
Milano cuke. They call them courgettes, Nero di Milana.
http://www.seedsofitaly.com/catalogue/8 . Let's see, which of those helpful
hints have we missed in our planting? Hmmm. Well, if August stays below the
90's, none.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
--------------

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-16-1576,00.html


One of the joys of the summer garden is slicing up a cucumber just
plucked off the vine and savoring that first crisp, cool bite. Well,
it's a joy when the cucumber tastes the way it should: with that
sweet, refreshing flavor that alludes to a clear mountain spring. But
sometimes, for no apparent reason, one will taste bitter. How does
that happen, and more important, what can you do about it? If you
follow these tips to minimize a cucumber's greatest enemy- stress-
you'll prevent bitterness, as well as most of the other problems that
may have marred your cuke harvest in the past, such as pests and
diseases. And I promise that this year you'll enjoy the coolest,
tastiest cucumbers that no money can buy.

Secrets of Growing Tasty Cukes

Some cukes start out bitter, but some become bitter because of
conditions in their environment- many of which you can control. (For
an explanation of what makes cucumbers bitter, see "The Bitter
Truth," below.) Plants that are stressed are more likely to become
bitter; how bitter depends on the severity of the stress. Stress in a
plant is most often caused by insufficient and uneven moisture, but
temperature extremes and poor nutrition can also play a part. You can
minimize stress and maximize flavor if you:

1. Keep them hydrated. Provide plants with plenty of moisture,
especially around the time the plant is flowering and fruiting. Any
water stress during this period of rapid growth causes the levels of
bitter-tasting compounds to rise. Cucumbers are vigorous growers and
therefore need between 1 and 2 inches of water per week, depending on
the weather and the characteristics of your soil. The key is to keep
the soil slightly moist at all times. Water deeply about once or
twice a week- more often if you're gardening in sandy soil.

2. Mulch. You can further reduce water stress by mulching plants with
an organic mulch, black plastic, or the newer IRT (InfraRed
Transmitting) mulch for earlier and heavier yields. Mulch helps to
conserve and moderate moisture levels while blocking out weeds.
Plastic mulches can be applied at planting time, but wait until
summer or after the soil has warmed to above 70 degrees before
applying organic mulches, such as straw.

3. Regulate the temperature. Cucumbers like warm conditions, but
growing cool and tasty cukes in the heat can sometimes be a
challenge. In fact, high temperatures not only affect fruit quality;
they can also affect fruit set by causing the plant to produce a
higher ratio of male flowers. "Cucumbers are really sensitive to high
heat," says horticulturist Emily Gatch, greenhouse and pathology
coordinator with New Mexico-based Seeds of Change. "It can be really
hard on plants if temperatures are consistently in the mid-90s." If
you're growing cucumbers in a hot climate, Gatch recommends providing
plants with filtered afternoon shade to help cool things down, either
by strategically planting taller crops at the southern end or by
adding a shade cloth to block 40 to 50 percent of the sunlight.

4. Give them sunlight and good soil. For the best-tasting fruit and
optimum yields, grow plants in a sunny spot and in warm, fertile, and
well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Raised beds are ideal.
Cucumbers require a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Wait to sow seeds or
set out transplants until after all danger of frost has passed and
the soil has warmed to at least 60°F. An unexpected frost will kill
plants, and the vines grow slowly and become stressed in cool
conditions. You can start seeds indoors three to four weeks before
your anticipated planting date outdoors. Be careful not to disturb
roots when transplanting.

5. Fertilize. Cucumbers thrive in light, friable soil. Several inches
of organic matter worked into the soil prior to planting helps
achieve that goal. Plants are heavy feeders, so be sure to feed the
soil with rich compost or aged manure. After the vines develop
runners and the first flowers appear, follow up with a side dressing
of compost, aged manure, or organic fertilizer. If the leaves are
yellowish, the plants need more nitrogen. Make room. Giving plants
the space they require is just one more ticket to a stress-free
environment. Grow trellised plants 8 to 12 inches apart. Hills with
one or two seedlings should be spaced about 3 feet apart, with rows 4
to 5 feet apart. Space bush varieties 3 feet apart in all directions.

6. Banish weeds. Keep your cucumber patch and the area around it free
of weeds. Some types are hosts for bacterial wilt disease, which is
spread by cucumber beetles. Intense feeding by these beetles can kill
a plant, and they're attracted to stressed plants- all the more
reason to keep your plants healthy and happy.

7. Cover up. Row covers, hotcaps (or plastic milk cartons with the
caps removed), and plastic tunnels are great for getting plants off
to an early start. And row covers not only help plants grow faster
and flower sooner, they also protect plants from pest insects. Just
be sure to remove any covering once plants start to flower.

Reaping the Harvests
Depending on the variety, cucumbers are ready for harvest 50 to 70
days from planting. The more you pick cucumbers, the longer they'll
produce. After all, they do belong to the squash family, and
certainly zucchini has taught us all a thing or two about letting
fruits get too big. You can expect longer harvests of top-quality
cukes on productive plants if you pick the fruits frequently and
before they get too large.



Size matters. The size at which you harvest depends on the variety
grown. For optimum taste and texture, American slicers are generally
best when harvested at 6 to 8 inches long; Middle Eastern types such
as 'Amira' at 4 to 6 inches; most picklers at 3 to 5 inches; and
Asian varieties at 8 to 12 inches. The Middle Eastern types (also
known as Mediterranean cucumbers) are shorter and have a blockier
shape than American varieties. Asian varieties like 'Suyo Long'
and 'Tasty Jade' are long and slender, reaching as long as 15 inches
in length. The Middle Eastern types have a bit more flavor than Asian
varieties, which are very mild. Both types have very tender skin.


How to harvest. Some people harvest their cukes by turning the fruit
parallel to the vine with a quick snap. But unless you're skilled at
making such a clean break, a pair of scissors or pruning shears might
prove a better bet. Simply grasp the fruit and cut the stem 1/4 inch
above it.


The bitter ends. If fruits taste bitter, no need to
panic. "Bitterness concentrates in the stem end and skin and doesn't
penetrate the entire fruit," says horticulturist Tracy K. Lee of W.
Atlee Burpee & Co., in Warminster, Pennsylvania. "Simply peel the
fruit and cut off the stem end by about an inch or two to reduce the
bitterness."


The Bitter Truth
Built-in bitterness. Most cucumber plants contain compounds known as
cucurbitacins ("kyew-ker-BIT-a-sins") that cause fruit to taste
bitter. At low levels, you aren't likely to detect them. But high
levels of cucurbitacins produce extremely bitter fruit- so bitter
that eating it would cause a riot in your stomach. Cucurbitacin
levels increase when a plant is under stress. Your mileage may vary.
The concentration of these compounds varies from plant to plant,
fruit to fruit, and even within the individual fruit itself. The
ability to taste cucurbitacins also varies from person to person.
Even insects have varying preferences for cucurbitacins- the
compounds attract cucumber beetles but repel other insects, such as
aphids and spider mites.


An antibitterness gene.
Cucurbitacins are found in most cucurbits, but some cucumber
varieties possess a gene that inhibits their formation. "The bi gene
causes the entire plant to be bitterfree," notes Todd C. Wehner,
Ph.D., professor of horticultural science and plant breeder at North
Carolina State University. "Bitterfree plants always produce
bitterfree fruit, even under stress conditions," he adds.


Bitterfree types.
Varieties that possess the recessive bi gene include European and
Dutch greenhouse cucumbers- those long, very slender, seedless
specimens typically sold shrink-wrapped with plastic to protect their
thin skins. 'Marketmore 97', a vining slicer variety, also has the
bitterfree gene.


Burpless cucumbers.
What makes a cucumber "burpless" is open to debate. Some researchers
have suggested that a burpless cucumber contains less of a burp-
causing compound; some say it's the seeds that cause people to burp,
and therefore the English/Dutch long hothouse-type cucumbers are also
burpless. Sometimes burpless is used as a marketing term for Asian
varieties of cucumbers. Burpless varieties include those two
categories plus varieties like 'Tasty Green', 'Sweet Success',
and 'Big Burpless Hybrid'. Although burpless varieties are bred to
produce fewer cucurbitacins, they don't have the gene that would make
them bitterfree, so they could produce more cucurbitacins if growing
conditions become unfavorable.



Taster's Choice
While varieties vary widely in their tendency to be bitter, burpless
varieties tend to produce smaller quantities of the bitter compounds.
Cucumbers bred with the bitterfree gene have very mild-tasting fruit.
If you're used to classic cucumber flavor, a regular slicer may be
more to your liking.

Bitterless (Cucumbers having the bitterfree gene)
'Holland Hothouse' (64 days from planting to maturity): A Dutch
greenhouse type that can be grown outdoors; the bitterfree and
burpless cukes have a cool and sweet taste. For straight fruits,
trellis the vines .
'Marketmore 97' (55 days): Developed at Cornell University. A truly
bitterfree slicer, and very disease-resistant to boot.
'Tyria' (56 days): Another Dutch greenhouse type, producing lightly
ribbed, dark green fruits up to 14 inches long. (Harvest between 10
and 12 inches long for best flavor.)

Burpless (Cucumbers having fewer cucurbitacins)
'Amira' (55 days): Middle Eastern type; sweeter flavor than most with
a crunchy texture. These thin-skinned fruits are best harvested at 4
to 5 inches.
'Cool Breeze' (45 days): A French cornichon type (cornichons are
small cucumbers meant for pickling). Smooth skins; sweet and crunchy
flesh with great flavor. Harvest when 4 to 5 inches long; sets fruit
without pollination.
'Diva' (55 days): Smooth, thin, no-peel skin. Distinctly tender,
crisp, and delicately sweet. Best picked at 4 to 5 inches.
'Orient Express' (64 days): Flavorful, Oriental type with thin-
skinned, dark green fruits. Vines very tolerant to disease.
'Sweet Marketmore' (62 days): Disease-resistant vines produce
consistently in hot or cool weather. Great flavor without the burp.
'Tasty Green' (65 days): The name says it all- very tasty with sweet
and juicy, dark green, slender fruits. Can be grown inside or out.

Weather or Not
'Armenian' (60 days): Does well in hot weather. This cucumber
relative is also known as snake melon. Long, slender light green
fruits are spineless, and almost always curved unless grown on a
trellis and harvested when 12 nches long. Somewhat sweet, with a
mild, slightly citrusy flavor.
'Socrates' (52 days): Does well in cooler conditions. Can be grown
indoors in locations that stay between 50° to 82° F. Dark green, thin-
skinned fruit are sweet, tender, and seedless.

SOURCES
Burpee, Warminster, PA; 800-888-1447, burpee.com
Johnny's Selected Seeds, Winslow, ME; 877-564-6697, johnnyseeds.com
Seeds of Change, El Gulque, NM; 888-762-7333, seedsofchange.com
Territorial Seed Company, Cottage Grove, OR; 800-626-0866,
territorialseed.com
Vermont Bean Seed Company, Randolph, WI; 800-349-1071,
vermontbean.com







  • [Livingontheland] Growing Tasty Cukes, TradingPostPaul, 07/20/2007

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